Want more low-cost flight options in Canada? Flair's outgoing CEO says the rules need to change
Stephen Jones, the outgoing CEO of Flair Airlines, has a message for Canadian air travelers: the country needs viable low-cost carriers. But Jones warns under the current rules, trying to compete with what he calls the Big Two — Air Canada and WestJet — is "a really tough game." The 63-year-old airline executive, who's stepping down at the end of the month, dropped by CBC's Vancouver newsroom for a candid conversation about the future of Flair and the airline business in this country. "It's a tough industry globally, but certainly here in Canada, the industry has been dominated by the two big players for decades now," said Jones. "We think that Canadians were paying too much for too long and so we needed to come in and disrupt it. And I think we've done that." Flair promises customers "unbeatable fares every day." The Edmonton-based company says it operates 20 aircraft, serving 36 destinations operating, on average, 450 flights a week. But with the demise of Lynx Air earlier this year — joining the list of Canadian discount airlines that couldn't stay in business, Flair remains the only ultra-low cost airline flying within Canada. The problem has been flagged by Competition Bureau Canada, which said last month that low-cost carriers do lead to reduced fares, but "seem to face more difficulties in Canada compared to other countries."<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-06-17/unaligned/want-more-low-cost-flight-options-in-canada-flairs-outgoing-ceo-says-the-rules-need-to-change
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Want more low-cost flight options in Canada? Flair's outgoing CEO says the rules need to change
Stephen Jones, the outgoing CEO of Flair Airlines, has a message for Canadian air travelers: the country needs viable low-cost carriers. But Jones warns under the current rules, trying to compete with what he calls the Big Two — Air Canada and WestJet — is "a really tough game." The 63-year-old airline executive, who's stepping down at the end of the month, dropped by CBC's Vancouver newsroom for a candid conversation about the future of Flair and the airline business in this country. "It's a tough industry globally, but certainly here in Canada, the industry has been dominated by the two big players for decades now," said Jones. "We think that Canadians were paying too much for too long and so we needed to come in and disrupt it. And I think we've done that." Flair promises customers "unbeatable fares every day." The Edmonton-based company says it operates 20 aircraft, serving 36 destinations operating, on average, 450 flights a week. But with the demise of Lynx Air earlier this year — joining the list of Canadian discount airlines that couldn't stay in business, Flair remains the only ultra-low cost airline flying within Canada. The problem has been flagged by Competition Bureau Canada, which said last month that low-cost carriers do lead to reduced fares, but "seem to face more difficulties in Canada compared to other countries."<br/>
